Washington State's Spanish Hotline Plays AI English with Accent Instead
For several months, individuals contacting the Washington state Department of Licensing who have opted for automated assistance in Spanish have been met with an unexpected response: an artificial intelligence voice delivering information in English, but with a pronounced Spanish accent. The agency has issued an apology and is actively working to resolve this perplexing technical malfunction.
Resident Discovers Bizarre AI Mix-Up
Washington resident Maya Edwards first encountered the AI-accented voice last summer when her Mexican husband attempted to use the Spanish-language option while inquiring about his driver's license. Although bilingual, he selected "two" for Spanish to avoid lengthy wait times for an English-speaking customer service representative.
Edwards described the experience as reminiscent of the satirical comedy series "Parks and Recreation," which often mocks governmental inefficiencies. "It was hilarious to us in the moment because it was so absurd," she remarked. "However, it also raises serious accessibility issues for daily callers who require services in languages other than English."
Viral Video Highlights Persistent Problem
Earlier this month, Edwards tested the hotline again and found the error remained unchanged. She recorded a video of the call and shared it on TikTok, where it rapidly gained approximately 2 million views, drawing widespread public attention to the issue.
Agency Response and Investigation
In an official statement, the Washington Department of Licensing acknowledged the problem and expressed regret. "DOL apologizes for the error and to its customers for any inconvenience," the statement read. "An unfortunate byproduct of expanding services is that DOL found problems with the self-service option."
The agency explained that the self-service system incorporates ten languages and operates on newer, AI-driven technology. It is currently investigating how the Spanish option malfunctioned and whether other languages have been similarly affected. Initial checks by The Associated Press using other language options did not reveal additional accented voices.
Technical Details and Vendor Secrecy
The Department of Licensing declined to disclose the name of the AI vendor responsible for the translation service, redirecting inquiries to WaTech, the state's interagency IT service. As of the latest updates, a spokesperson had not provided the vendor's name following requests from The Associated Press.
As of Thursday morning, the call line continued to feature the accented voice after an English message acknowledging translation service issues. When an AP reporter followed prompts for Spanish, the AI voice spoke English with a Spanish accent, only switching to Spanish for numbers, such as stating, "Your estimated wait time is less than 'tres' minutes."
This incident underscores the challenges and potential pitfalls of implementing advanced AI technologies in public services, particularly regarding language accessibility and user experience.
